Light on the Path-181b
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The questioner : This listener from al-Zubayr in Basra is asking about this hadith from Ibn 'Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) regarding the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), who said: "The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) stayed for nineteen days and shortened the prayer. So we, when we stay for nineteen days, shorten the prayer, and if we exceed that, we complete it." What is the authenticity of this hadith, O honorable Shaykh?
The Shaykh : This hadith is authentic; al-Bukhari and others have narrated it. This is because the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) conquered Makkah in Ramadan and stayed there for nineteen days, shortening the prayer. He also broke his fast for the remainder of the month because he conquered it at the end of the month. It is mentioned that he conquered it on a Friday corresponding to the twentieth of Ramadan in the eighth year of the Hijrah, and he did not fast for the remainder of the month, as established in Sahih al-Bukhari from the hadith of Ibn 'Abbas as well.
Ibn 'Abbas says: "So we, when we stay for nineteen days, shorten the prayer, and if we exceed that, we complete it." This is his opinion (may Allah be pleased with him) regarding the duration after which the ruling of travel ceases for the traveler. The scholars differ on this issue, specifically regarding when the ruling of travel ceases for a traveler who stays in a place. Al-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) mentioned more than ten opinions on this in his commentary on "al-Muhadhdhab."
This indicates that there is no authentic, explicit Sunnah specifying the duration after which the ruling of travel ceases. The issue is a matter of independent legal reasoning (ijtihad). This is not the place to mention the scholars' opinions on it. However, it seems to me, and Allah knows best, that what Ibn 'Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) said confused the questioner because it differs from what is well-known among people regarding the duration after which the ruling of travel ceases. But let the questioner know that this is one of the issues on which there is scholarly disagreement. Yes.
The Shaykh : This hadith is authentic; al-Bukhari and others have narrated it. This is because the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) conquered Makkah in Ramadan and stayed there for nineteen days, shortening the prayer. He also broke his fast for the remainder of the month because he conquered it at the end of the month. It is mentioned that he conquered it on a Friday corresponding to the twentieth of Ramadan in the eighth year of the Hijrah, and he did not fast for the remainder of the month, as established in Sahih al-Bukhari from the hadith of Ibn 'Abbas as well.
Ibn 'Abbas says: "So we, when we stay for nineteen days, shorten the prayer, and if we exceed that, we complete it." This is his opinion (may Allah be pleased with him) regarding the duration after which the ruling of travel ceases for the traveler. The scholars differ on this issue, specifically regarding when the ruling of travel ceases for a traveler who stays in a place. Al-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) mentioned more than ten opinions on this in his commentary on "al-Muhadhdhab."
This indicates that there is no authentic, explicit Sunnah specifying the duration after which the ruling of travel ceases. The issue is a matter of independent legal reasoning (ijtihad). This is not the place to mention the scholars' opinions on it. However, it seems to me, and Allah knows best, that what Ibn 'Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) said confused the questioner because it differs from what is well-known among people regarding the duration after which the ruling of travel ceases. But let the questioner know that this is one of the issues on which there is scholarly disagreement. Yes.